The Dragons of the Western World

An Essay Written By Arrelcain

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A very long time ago there were dragons in Medieval Europe and, later, in more of the Western world. That is why we shall call them Western Dragons

Legs and Arms

The Western Dragon walks on four legs, but can stand on two when need requires. The hind legs are always that: legs. But the front legs can be used as hands when the dragon in question is carrying something. The hind legs have three toes with very, very sharp claws in the front and one toe in the back, equally as sharp. The arms (for that is what I will call them) have three claws and are considerably weaker than the hind legs, but just strong enough so the dragon can hold itself up when walking on four legs without falling over or moving unintentionally. When carrying off prey, the Western Dragon will use its hind legs if said prey is too large or heavy to carry in its arms. Feet on the hind legs are much larger than that of the hands, so it is easier to carry large prey. But, if something is quite small and in danger of falling from the grasp of a dragon's feet, the Western Dragon will use its hands.

Wings

The wings of a Western Dragon are similar to that of a bat's. The wings consist of small, scaled portions in some parts that reach down even farther than the thin membrane that makes up most of the wings. This membrane is unarmored and easily pierced by a sharp projectile. It is strong enough, however, so that an unsharpened projectile cannot go through it. The scaled portions run inside the membrane and create bulges in it. The wings are gigantic, but can fold comfortably onto the Western Dragon's back when needed to. Where the wings come to its highest point is a small, curved spike. The use of this small spike can vary, and no one knows its true purpose.

Neck and Head

A Western Dragon's neck is very long and armored with indestructible scales. Spines stick up in the top of the neck, making climbing the neck of a dragon extremely dangerous. The back of the body and the tail is also lined with these spines. The bottom of the neck is armored with scales as well, though of a different color than the rest of the neck. Spines differ in a color from any of the scales, and are commonly a mix of the colors of a dragon's scales.

The head of a Western Dragon is somewhat triangular. It gets thinner and thinner from where the head starts (at the horns to be exact.) In fact, the upper jaw comes to a point. Every aspect of a dragon's head is armored, as well. Nostrils are simply slits, and between these nostrils is a single spine. There are exactly three spines on the dragon's beneath the lower mouth, but each one differs in size. A dragon's teeth are about as sharp as that of a great white shark. They have a forked tongue as well.

Here we come to a common misconception. Dragons do not breathe fire. The Western Dragon is the only species that can "breathe fire." But, in reality, if they breathed fire they would burn their insides to a crisp. On each cheek the dragon has two small, scaled cylinders. These cylinders release two liquids diagonally until they meet, causing flame. Exactly what these liquids are and how they are shot diagonally without the liquid falling to the ground is an unsolved mystery. The Western Dragon must open their mouth before they release these liquids (they can control exactly when these liquids come out.) If they did not open their mouths the liquids would never meet but harmlessly collide with the side of the dragon's mouth. Now, if they open their mouth these liquids meet inside the mouth near the front teeth, creating the illusion that the dragon is "breathing fire." It is believed that these liquids are fired with such speed that they won't touch the ground, similar to when someone would fire something with a pea-shooter. The liquids are invisible and dissolve when they touche anything at all, except for each other in which case they create flame. Now, when the flame is created the dragon's breathe will blow the flame forward with great speed. Younger dragons are not able to create these liquids very long, but an older dragon could "breathe fire" for weeks without end.

The horns of a dragon are much like the claws, except they stick out of the head, above and a bit further back than the eye. Now, a dragon's eye is similar to a human's eye. However, dragon's eyesight is very acute and they can see something clearly 5,000 feet away. All species of dragons are color blind. Dragons' eyes adjust to the light and dark in 1/32 of a millisecond, so they can see something even if it is hidden I the shadows.

Body

The body of a Western Dragon isn't very special. But the thing one should know is that a dragon's underbelly is unarmored, making it the only way to successfully kill a dragon. And even then you must stab the Western Dragon exactly in the heart to kill it.

Tail

The tail is quite similar to the neck, really (except it doesn't have a head attached to it.) A small arrow-like point is at the tip of the tail. This cannot really do any damage, since it is made of the same membrane as the wings.

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Please keep in mind that this is my version of a dragon, and not necessarily what yours has to look like, or what everyone thinks a dragon of Medieval Europe looked like. In short, I'm not saying, "This is how a dragon looks like, and it will whether you like it or not." This is just what I believe the dragon looked like. I have read a variety of stories and watched a variety of movies, all too numerous to list. From everything I have read and watched I have pieced together this dragon. So, the dragon isn't based on one single idea but on many ideas.